Harbor Freight

[john in la]

Are Harbor Freight local stores company owned or are they independent small business owners??????
I always believed they were company owned but I am beginning to question that.

I need to replace my dump trailer that I pull behind my mower.
Harbor freight is usually pretty good about keeping things they sell in stock; Their trailer is half the price of others; It is decent quality that last years; and today they have 20 percent off.
Online it says the store 50 miles from me has one in stock but the store 15 miles from me does not.
No problem I do not need it today so I will just order in store for free in store pickup.
I get to the store and they have this slot with a picture and take this paper to register.
So I go to register and say I want to order this item.
Guy looks it up and says we do not stock this item any longer.
I say OK I did say I wanted to order it.
Then he turns the screen toward me to show the expected delivery date of 10/15 four months away.
So I can drive 35 miles to the next store and get it today; or I can stand right here and order it on my phone and get it delivered to my house in 5 to 7 days; But you can not get it for 4 months.

Needless to say I ordered it online and paid the $20 shipping to my house.

So this now has me wondering if this store is independently owned and the quality of service difference between other stores is because of that.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

I don't think they are independently owned, I have never seen "franchise" or any other term that would give a hint as to some being independently owned. I quit my retail job with a major national retailer in 2021, and have been of the opinion all of them are forcing us online by limiting what they stock in stores, or only shipping full merchandise offerings to highly trafficked store locations. Like you said about NAPA, we have done this to ourselves. About 2016 my previous employer shutdown any ordering not done by a computer....

 

[moresmoke]

What goes around comes around. Once upon a time
many things came from the Sears catalog.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I suspect the main office tells each store what they will (and will not) carry.

 

[DoubleO7]

(reply to post at 00:12:47 06/19/23)

Good thing you ordered it delivered to the house.
And did not drive to the other store as they likely had none.
I have looked online a few times, and went to the store that said they had whatever in stock with a count show only to find none in stock.
I swear some retailers will always show at least one in stock just to get you in the store.

 

[Stephen Newell]

The stores are company owned, they don't offer franchises. The real issue is the stores like any other company can't find anyone with substance between their ears.

 

[Johnhof]

So true, I can remember waiting for the mailman to deliver the sears order. There was no expected delivery date then.

 

[redforlife]

A lot of variables could be involved here.

First off, even if the stores were owned by the parent company, each location might be ran by different people. People that might not run thier location the same. Things like what they stock/don't stock, hours they are open, and how they go about ordering. One location might not do any ordering, other than putting it down on thier next stock order. Don't really care how long that takes, even if the warehouse it's coming from is out of the item. But another location might turn to other measures of ordering if it's going to take to long on a stock order. Such as ordering the single item through Amazon as the customer might do if they weren't using the store.

On a normal stock order, there wouldn't be any hurry about it, if the supplying warehouse was out of that particular item. After all, it's just on a normal stock order. So it would end up on back order until the warehouse was replenished with that particular item.

Ordering single items through Amazon is somewhat different. These items are considered customer sold, when the order is placed. And not considered store inventory as it would be when placed on a stock order for a store. And this means, that a bigger effort will be made to find the item in the system someplace if it don't happen to be at a single warehouse someplace.

As to why one store won't do any other form of ordering if it's going to take forever on a normal stock order, I can't really answer that. But being lazy or don't want to be bothered with the grief of it, comes to mind as a guess.

I walked through Wal-Mart just yesterday. I seen 3 employees in different places that were suppose to be stocking shelves. They were texting on thier phones instead. Don't tell me that these people are going to do anymore than they have to. So there can be a big difference just in who you talk to at the store this day in age.

 

[wp6529]

A great many retail stores have or are currently committing suicide by not stocking anything to try to cut costs. The only advantages a retail store has is hands on, take it now and if they ain't got it they have no reason to exist.

I'm fine with paying a bit more, perhaps 10-15% for the look it over and get it today, but a bet a lot of people just go on price alone these days.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

We have two in Wichita and both are absolutely owned by local franchisees. Those who say otherwise are trying to discredit the store because they must fear our Chinese competitors or perhaps something else, but shopping at Harbor Frieght is every bit as patriotic as shopping at the local grocery chain.

Now the large grocery chain stores are owned by huge corporations who do not care one white about you or your community...

 

[Ozlander]

(quoted from post at 10:59:21 06/19/23) We have two in Wichita and both are absolutely owned by local franchisees. ..

Actually, we have three stores in Wichita.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 10:59:21 06/19/23) We have two in Wichita and both are absolutely owned by local franchisees. Those who say otherwise are trying to discredit the store because they must fear our Chinese competitors or perhaps something else, but shopping at Harbor Frieght is every bit as patriotic as shopping at the local grocery chain.

Now the large grocery chain stores are owned by huge corporations who do not care one white about you or your community...

ook this off their website: For more than 40 years, Harbor Freight Tools has built a solid reputation as America s favorite tool store, known for "quality tools at the lowest prices."

To learn more about Harbor Freight Tools, check out this video.

We re expanding! Harbor Freight s Real Estate Department is currently considering hundreds of new locations across the U.S. All of our stores are company-owned. [b:89db59e8ac]We do not offer franchises[/b:89db59e8ac]. To view our current locations, click here.

We will consider free-standing and in-line spaces, ground leases and build-to-suits.

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 14:51:03 06/19/23)

(quoted from post at 10:59:21 06/19/23) We have two in Wichita and both are absolutely owned by local franchisees. ..

Actually, we have three stores in Wichita.

If privately owned, they must be Harbor Fright stores.

 

[504]

Our journey began in 1977, when Eric Smidt and his father launched Harbor Freight Tools. 40+ years, 1400+ stores, and over 40 million satisfied customers later, not only are we still family owned, but we've stayed true to our mission. We've continued to deliver an incredible assortment of quality tools to pros and DIYers alike at prices that are up to 80% less than competing brands. From their page